Gilmore Girls: What if
by ayarian88
Summary: Starts back at season 1, just before the winter dance. Rory and Dean are broken up and there are two guys at Chilton who wanna take Rory to the dance. But who will she choose? What will happen after? Will Dean come back? Read to find out.
1. Winter Dance

A/N: Okay you guys! Here's a new story. This started out as a One-Shot project that I had been thinking about. But as I wrote this, I saw an ongoing story forming in my head. Big thanks to Ashmo2000 for her thoughts when I stuck. You always got my back girl. Don't forget to check out our story "It's all my fault".

As always Read, Review and Favorite….

Winter Dance

Rory POV

I was sitting at Luke's waiting for Mom, when Lane walked in and joined me. Luke brought us coffee. "Hey what's up?" I asked Lane.

"So….." She asked me.

"So…what?" I asked confused.

"Did you decide who your going to the winter dance with?" Lane asked. Henry had asked her to the dance. I had told her that Tristin had asked me as well as his friend Austin. I had planned on Dean going with me but obviously that wasn't going to happen since we broke up. I had been thinking about going with Tristin.

"I haven't decided but I think that I'm gonna go with Tristin." I told Lane.

"Wow. Henry said that Tristin told him that he has the whole night planned." Lane said.

I looked at the time. I had to catch my bus. "I gotta go. Hey Luke." I said getting his attention. He looked at me. "If you see Mom, tell her I had to go."

"You got it." Luke said.

When I walked out of Luke's, I walked over to the bus stop to wait for my bus. The entire ride to school I thought about what Lane had said…that Tristin had the whole night planned. Did he actually like me? Had he been messing with me because he actually liked me like Paris had said? When I got to school, I made my way to my locker to find Tristin and Austin waiting for me. "Hey guys." I said as I approached them.

"Hey, we were just wondering if you had decided yet?" Tristin asked locking eyes with me.

"Yeah, I actually decided this morning on the bus." I said.

"And?" Austin asked.

I broke eye contact with Tristin and looked at Austin. "I'm going with Tristin. Sorry." I said. Austin nodded and walked away. I looked back at Tristin.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm giving you a chance. Don't make me regret my decision." I said.

"I promise, I won't. See you at lunch?" He said, with a smile.

"Sure." I said, turning and opening my locker. I was walking to Mr. Medina's class when Paris caught up with me.

"It's all over school, that your going to the dance with Tristin." She said.

"Good morning to you too, Paris." I said. "And yes, I'm going to the dance with Tristin. You got a problem with it?" I asked her as we stopped in front of Mr. Medina's class.

"No, no problem. Just curious actually."

"About what?" I asked her.

"About how long before you and Tristin are actually a couple?" She asked before walking into class.

That night, I was in my room getting ready for the dance when I heard the doorbell. "Mom! Door!" I yelled. I heard her walk to the door, open it and greet Tristin. I was trying to finish getting ready. A few minutes later, Mom walked through my bedroom door.

"He seems nice." Mom said.

"I'm giving him a chance Mom. You should too." I said and Mom held up her hands in surrender.

"Have a good time tonight, Ror. You deserve it." Mom finally said as I was putting my shoes on.

I walked toward my bedroom door and turned back toward her. "Thanks Mom." I walked out to the living room, to find Tristin standing in front of the fireplace looking at the pictures that Mom had on the mantle. "Hey." I said, causing him to turn around.

"Wow." Tristin said.

"Wow good or wow bad?" I asked.

"Definitely wow good." He said. He walked towards me and stopped, standing in front of me. "You ready to go?" He asked and I nodded. Tristin and I walked out to his car and he opened the passenger side door for me. "Are you hungry? I thought we might could get something to eat before we go to the dance."

I smiled at him. "That sounds great." I said, getting into the car.

Tristin drove us back toward Hartford and pulled into the parking lot of a little Italian restaurant. "You do like Italian food right?" He asked.

"I love Italian food." I said and he nodded.

After dinner, Tristin and I headed to the dance. When we walked in, I immediately noticed how beautiful the room looked. We quickly found our table. We were sitting with Lane and Henry, and Paris and Austin. I sat my purse down on the table and Tristin asked me to dance. Tristin grabbed my hand and led me to the dance floor.

The dance was amazing. I was actually surprised at how good of a time I had with Tristin. After the dance, we went to a little coffee shop that Mom and I had been to a couple of times when we had been in Hartford. Tristin ordered our coffees and I found us a table in the corner of the shop. He waited on the coffees and then joined me. "Thanks." I said.

"Your welcome. So I hope that you enjoyed yourself tonight." Tristin said.

"I did. Thank you, Tristin. It was a great night." I said. I could tell that he was nervous about something. "Is everything okay?" I asked.

"Rory, can I ask you something?" I nodded. "I had a really good time tonight and I may have had another reason for asking you to the dance." Tristin said. I sat there silently. "Rory, I like you. I've liked you for a while…and I guess I have a weird way of showing it." Tristin says as I take a drink of my coffee. "I'm rambling. I guess what I'm saying is that I had hoped that the dance would be a chance for me to show you that I'm not a bad guy, and I was hoping that you would give me a chance." I smile at Tristin. "Rory, will you consider giving me a chance at being your boyfriend?"

A/N: Any body see that coming? Hope you guys enjoyed this! Don't forget to review. I always like reading them, the good, the bad and the ugly.


	2. The Beginning

A/N: Hey guys! So happy that you guys love this story. For those of you that don't know I always wanted to see Rory and Tristin end up together. Did you guys think that the chapters are long enough or do you want longer? Let me know!

As always don't forget to read, review and favorite!

Reviews:

Sammy1440: Thanks for the review. I have no idea where I'm going to take it yet.

YaleAceBella12: Coming right up!

JJsMommy27: I always love me some Trory! I won't spoil anything for you but I will say this. I am and always have been anti-Dean so don't worry!

Chapter 2: The Beginning

 _"Rory, can I ask you something?" I nodded. "I had a really good time tonight and I at there silently. "Rory, I like you. I've liked you for a while…and I guess I have a weird way of showing it." Tristin says as I take a drink of my coffee. "I'm rambling. I guess what I'm saying is that I had hoped that the dance would be a chance for me to show you that I'm not a bad guy, and I was hoping that you would give me a chance." I smile at Tristin. "Rory, will you consider giving me a chance at being your boyfriend?" may have had another reason for asking you to the dance." Tristin said. I s_

Did Tristin just ask me to be his girlfriend? Paris had been right this whole time. Tristin had liked me. I'm pulled from my thoughts, when I see Tristin staring at me waiting for an answer. I quickly come to a decision. I smile. "I'll give you a chance." I say.

Tristin reaches for my hand. "Thanks." I say.

The next morning, as I'm getting ready for school I think about how things are going to be different today. I finish getting ready and head to Luke's to grab a coffee before I catch my bus. The entire bus ride to school I find myself feeling nervous about seeing Tristin this morning. When I stepped off the bus, I found Tristin standing there waiting for me. "Hi." I said, as he handed me a coffee. "Thanks."

He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "Hi. Good morning and your welcome." Tristin said.

"This is a nice surprise. What did I do to deserve this?" I ask, as we start walking toward the school.

Tristin puts his arm around my shoulders. "Well, you see, strangest thing happened last night. You see, there's this girl that I've liked for a few months now…and last night she agreed to be my girlfriend." Tristin says, with a smile.

I take a drink of the coffee. It's good, not as good as Luke's…but good all the same. "Sounds like a lucky girl." I say as we reach the front steps of the school.

"I'm the one that's lucky." Tristin says as we walk through the front doors and make our way toward my locker. I hand Tristin my coffee so I can open my locker. "So, did you tell your Mom last night when I dropped you off?" Tristin asks.

"Yeah. Her words were something about she'll give you a chance but if you hurt me then she's releasing the dogs." I say, grabbing books out of my backpack and putting them in my locker. I grab what I need for first period and hand them to Tristin and sticking my backpack in my locker.

"That's good right?" Tristin asks.

I close my locker and grab my stuff from Tristin. "For Lorelai? Yes. She'll come around. Emily? She'll be ecstatic." I say with a smile. Tristin laughs.

Tristin and I start walking down the hallway when we're stopped by Paris in the middle of the hallway. "Is it true?" Paris asks.

Tristin and I look at each other and Tristin shrugs his shoulders. "Good morning to you too, Paris."

"Yeah, yeah. Is it?" She says.

"Okay, I give. Is what true?"

"That you two are together?" She asks. "Its all over school."

"Yes, Paris. I asked Rory to be my girlfriend last night." Tristin says.

"Ha! I knew that you two would end up together." Paris says.

"Okay. You know. Now can you move out of the way so that we can go to class?" I ask. Paris moves from in front of me and Tristin and I continue down the hallway to first period. It was nice that Tristin and I had the same classes, it meant that we got to spend all day together.

By the end of the day, the entire school knew that Tristin and I were together and they began calling me the Queen of Chilton. After school that day, Tristin gave me a ride home. When he pulled into my driveway, I saw someone sitting on my front porch. "Ror, what's he doing here?" Tristin asked me.

"I don't know Tris, I'm gonna find out though. I'll call you when he leaves." I say.

"Alright. Want me to pick you up in the morning and we can go get breakfast?" He asked.

"Sure." I say, kissing his cheek. I grab my backpack and climb out of Tristin's car. I make my way towards my porch as I hear Tristin pull out of the driveway. "What're you doing here?" I ask.

"Who was your friend?" Dean asks.

"You don't get to ask me that." I say.

"Ror, I came to apologize."

"Dean, don't."

"Rory. I overreacted."

"And then you broke up with me." I sit my backpack on the bottom step. "Look, Dean. I get that you overreacted. I get that your sorry. But it doesn't change anything. We broke up." I say.

"So that's it?" Dean asks.

I nod. "Yeah, that's it."

After Dean left, I went inside and changed into a pair of jeans and a sweater. I called Tristin and told him about my conversation with Dean. After hanging up with Tristin, I started on my homework. I had to meet Mom for dinner soon and I wanted to get as much as possible done before I had to leave.

At ten minutes til six, I grabbed my keys and headed out to meet Mom at Luke's for dinner. Right before I got to Luke's, Lane caught up with me. "Hey." I said.

"Hey, how come you didn't tell me?" Lane asked.

I looked at her confused. "What're you talking about?" I asked.

"Henry told me that you and Tristin are together." She said.

"Sorry, it was late when I got home last night and then when I got home today Dean was waiting on my porch." I say as we start walking toward Luke's.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. He said that he overreacted and that he was sorry." I tell her.

"Did you tell him about Tristin?" Lane asked me and I shook my head.

"No, but he did see him drop me off and Tristin saw Dean when we pulled in my driveway."

Lane walked with me the rest of the way to Luke's and then headed home to have dinner with her Mom. Mom was already waiting for me when I walked in. I told her about Dean and she couldn't believe it.

The rest of the night passed by uneventful. After dinner, Mom had to go back to work, so I headed home and finished my homework. It had been a strange 24 hours. Yesterday I was enjoying the Winter Dance with someone that I didn't think that I would have a good time with, let alone end the night with him as my boyfriend…and then today I gain a nickname and find my ex-boyfriend on my porch. What else could happen?

It was only the beginning…


	3. Grandma

Chapter 3: Grandma

Tristin and I have been together for 2 months. It's hard to believe. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday. Things at school have been different that's for sure. Some of the girls are jealous because they wanted to be Tristin's girlfriend and then there are others who worship the ground that I walk on and want to be me. Mom's been coming around, that's for sure. She finally quit calling Tristin by his nickname that she gave him and she actually calls him by his name. Lane and Henry are doing better than ever. She even introduced him to her mom (who was thrilled)…Lane couldn't believe it. She had actually found a guy that she likes and her parents approve of…Who'd have thought.

Grandma finally found out about me and Tristin. She's been calling the house for two weeks trying to convince me to bring Tristin to dinner. I've been avoiding the topic every time he asks me about Grandma. I guess I can't avoid it forever.

Mom started dating this guy that she met in her business class. He seems pretty cool. I've only met him a couple of times because I spend most of my time either at Tristin's or Lane's or the four of us do something.

Tristin and I were on our way to his house on this particular afternoon when we passed my grandparents house. "So, I kinda need to talk to you about something." I said.

Tristin looked at me and smiled. "Sure thing, babe. What's on your mind?" Tristin said.

I took a deep breath. "So, Grandma finally found out about us."

"What'd she say?"

"She keeps begging me to bring you to dinner." I tell him.

"Okay when?" He says.

I let out the breath that I didn't realize that I was holding. "Really?"

He lifts my hand and kisses the back of it. "Of course. I know that your family's important to you. When do you want me to come?"

I smile. "I can call Grandma and see." We pull into Tristin's driveway. "Your amazing you know that."

He smiles. "I know."

That night when I got home, I called Grandma. "Hi Grandma." I said.

"Rory, this is a nice surprise." She said when she answered the phone.

"Thanks. So, I umm…talked to Tristin and he said that he would love to come to dinner." I told her.

"Oh that's wonderful Rory. Do you think that this Friday would work for him?"

"Yeah, Grandma. Friday's fine." I said.

"Great. So we will see the three of you on Friday." Grandma said.

"See you then Grandma." I said and hung up the phone.

"This is gonna end badly. You know that right?" Mom said, once I had gotten off the phone.

"Don't say that." I said and headed off to my room.

The next couple of days, seemed to pass in a blur. The next thing I knew, after school on Friday Tristin and I were heading to his house so that he could grab his clothes for dinner. When we got to my house, I took a shower and then headed to my room to get ready. While I was getting ready, Tristin took a shower and got ready himself. By the time Mom got home, Tristin and I were both ready and Mom just had to change clothes.

The 30 minute drive from our house to Grandma's seemed to take forever. When we pulled into the driveway, I suddenly felt nervous. Tristin grabbed my hand, causing me to look up at him. "It's gonna be fine." Tristin said.

"I hope so, Tris." I said, as we walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. When Grandma's maid opened the door and let us in, Mom and I handed her our jackets. We, then made our way to the living room where I found Grandma fixing drinks and Grandpa was reading the paper. "Hi." I said, causing both of them to look at us.

"Good you're here." Grandma said.

Grandpa stood up and approached me and Tris. He hugged me. "Hello Rory." He said.

"Hi, Grandpa. You remember Tristin, right?" I said.

"Tristin, good to see you. How's the family?" Grandpa asked as he shook Tris's hand.

"As well as can be expected I guess sir." Tristin said as we made our way over to the couch to sit down. "Grandad is off traveling with my sister at the moment, sir."

 _Okay, so far so good._ "So, Grandpa, how was your trip?" I asked.

"It was good, Rory, thanks for asking." Grandpa said. Grandma came over and handed us all drinks. Mom sat there and just drank her martini. She had this look on her face that said that she hoped to be invisible tonight.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang. It didn't take long before we saw who the mystery guest was. "Dad!" I said, standing up. I walked over to him and hugged him.

"Hey kid." Dad said.

Mom stood up and walked over to where Dad and I were standing. "Chris, hi." She said.

"Hey Lore." He hugged Mom. Mom and Dad walked over and sat on the other couch with Grandma, while I walked back over to sit back next to Tris. "Richard, Emily."

"Christopher, it's good to see you." Grandpa said.

"Thanks Richard." Dad said, then he turned and noticed Tris sitting beside me. "And who is this?"

"Dad, this is Tristin…my boyfriend." I said. "Tris, this is my Dad…Christopher Hayden."

"It's nice to meet you sir. I've heard a lot about you from my father." Tris said.

"Nice to meet you. Who's your father?"

"Thomas DuGrey, sir." Tris said.

"Interesting." Dad said, looking at Grandpa and Grandpa just nodded.

The rest of dinner seemed to pass by very peacefully. A first in the Gilmore house. After coffee and dessert, we headed home with Dad following us. When we got to the house Mom and Dad headed inside, while I stood outside with Tris. He wrapped his arms around my waist. "See? I told you that it would be fine." Tris said.

I slipped my arms through his, wrapping my arms around his back. "I know, you were right. And you even got to meet my Dad." I said.

"He seems nice. I'm gonna go, but I'll come over tomorrow and we can finish that movie, okay?"

I nodded. Tris leaned down and kissed me. "See you tomorrow." I said.

 _Okay, so overall not a bad dinner like I thought it was going to be. Grandma and Grandpa approve of Tristin. Mom has actually come around to liking Tristin and Dad even showed up. The big question though was how long was Dad gonna stick around? Plus this was the first time that he had even come to us. Normally we had to go to him. Who knows?_

A/N: Hey guys! That's chapter three. Yes I know, there was a little time jump in there. And yes, I know that Christopher didn't show up till season 2. I'm aware. Told you it was gonna be different. The next chapter is gonna be from Lorelai.


	4. Old Wounds

A/N: Don't forget that this chapter is from Lorelai's point of view. It starts out with a conversation between her and Christopher.

Reviews:

Eness: Me too. I always hated it that they never had Tristin be a love interest for Rory. Don't get me wrong, I think that her and Logan were good together, they brought things out in each other…but I've always been a Trory fan.

Ashmo2000: Who knows? It's Dean. He always did think that Rory was the one that he was supposed to be with.

JJsMommy27: Who knows what'll happen with Christopher being back.

Chapter 4: Old Wounds

Christopher and I had just walked into the house from dinner with my parents, and Rory and Tristin were standing on the front porch talking. I put my keys and my purse on the table by the front door and walked to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee. "Lore? Can you talk to me please?" Christopher said.

I started the coffee pot and turned towards him. "Chris, what do you want me to say? You just showed up and on a night when Rory took her boyfriend to meet her grandparents. She was nervous enough already!" I said.

"Lore, I'm sorry but you wouldn't return my phone calls."

"What was I supposed to say Chris? You decided that you wanted to try and be a family with no notice and you wanted me and Rory to move to California. Our whole life is here. My job, Rory's school, My friends, her friends, her boyfriend. I couldn't just make that decision on a whim." I said. Chris stood there and stared at me. "Is that what encouraged this little trip of yours?"

Chris leaned back against Rory's door frame, and let out a sigh. "Lore, I'm not gonna lie. It was part of it. The other part is that I got a job in Hartford. I'm back for good. I'm gonna prove to you that I'm ready for the three of us to be a family." Chris said.

"Chris, it's going to take a lot. Rory and I, we don't exactly sit at home on the couch watching _I Love Lucy_ every night like we used to. We have our own lives. I work double shifts two to three days a week and when Rory's not at school or asleep she's usually with Lane or Tristin." I say.

"That's another thing…you're the last person that I thought would be okay with her dating a guy from our neighborhood."

"Yeah, well. Rory changed him. When Rory first met him, he was an egotistical asshole who did nothing but make her first month at Chilton a living hell. But Rory, the more that she got to know him the more he wanted to change for her. Chris, I have talked to him. He wants to be the best person that he can be…for Rory." I said. Chris stood there and nodded.

"Am I interrupting?" I heard coming from the doorway to the kitchen. It was Rory.

"No, kiddo. Your not. Your Dad and I were just talking. Tristin gone?" I asked.

"Yeah, he's gonna come over tomorrow though so that we can finish the movie from earlier." Rory said.

"Sounds good kid. You want some coffee?" I asked.

"Thanks. I have an English paper to finish. Tris, is gonna read through for me tomorrow." Rory said as I poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her.

"Sounds good kid." I said, as I kissed her cheek. "See you in the morning. Don't forget I'm working a double tomorrow so I won't be home till late." I remind her.

"Thanks Mom. Lane, Henry, Tris and I are going out to dinner anyway. You know, our weekly thing." She said and I nodded. "Goodnight." Rory said, and headed into her room, closing the door behind her.

I pour Chris a cup of coffee. "If this is what you want, then we're all gonna have to adjust." I said.

After Chris and I finished our coffee, I helped him get situated on the couch with some blankets before I headed up to bed. I laid there thinking about our phone conversation just a few weeks earlier.

***FLASHBACK***

I was sitting on the couch waiting for Rory to get home when the phone rang. I quickly answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey Lore." _Christopher._

"Hey Chris. How are ya?" I asked.

"I'm good. I have something I want to talk to you about though." He said.

"What's on your mind? I got a few minutes before Rory gets home."

"So things have been going really good out here in California and I realized that something's been missing from my life out here." Chris said.

"What's that?"

"You and Rory. Lore, I want the three of us to be a family. And I think that the two of you should move out here with me."

 _Was Christopher insane? Had he lost his mind?_ "Chris…" I started to say when the front door opened and Rory walked through, waving at me before going to her room to change. "Chris, it's not that simple. This isn't something that I can decide by myself. It's something that I would have to talk to Rory about."

"Well then talk to her and call me back. I'm not going to give up on this, Lore. Or us…" Chris said before hanging up.

When Rory came out of her room, she walked over and sat beside me on the couch. "Mom, what's wrong?" She asked me.

"That…was your Dad. He wants us to think about something." I told her.

"Okay, what?"

"Your Dad is doing really well out in California and he wants the three of us to be a family. He wants us to move out there." I said.

"No." Rory said…and that was the end of that conversation.

***END OF FLASHBACK***

The few weeks in between that conversation and now…Rory and I hadn't even talked about it. And I wasn't sure what she was going to say when I told her that Chris was back for good. And then there was my parents…Ah my parents. What would they say about all of this? They had wanted for the three of us to be a family for so long. With Chris being back, it was only a matter of time before they found out and started encouraging it. I wasn't sure how I was going to talk to Rory about it but I knew that I needed to do it soon.


	5. Changes

A/N: HERE YOU GO YOU GUYS! THE NEWEST CHAPTER. I WANNA GIVE A BIG SHOUT-OUT TO ASHMO2000 FOR HELPING ME WRITE THIS CHAPTER. DON'T FORGET TO CHECK OUT THE STORY THAT SHE AND I WRITE TOGETHER: IT'S ALL MY FAULT.

AS ALWAYS DON'T FORGET TO READ, REVIEW, FAVORITE, AND FOLLOW!

REVIEWS:

Sammy1440: Go with your gut!

Ashmo2000: As always girl, thanks for the help. At this point I'm not really even sure myself. I'm up for suggestions though.

Rori Potter: Here's your update!

JJsMommy27: Thanks for the support. Let me know if you have any ideas that you wanna see in this story.

Chapter 5: Changes

Lorelai POV

 _It had been a week since Christopher moved back to Hartford. I still hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Rory about everything. I had been thinking everything over, trying to decide the best way to bring it up. After thinking about it all week, I decided that today was going to be the day. I was meeting Rory at Luke's for an early dinner cause I had some things to deal with at the Inn that night._ As I sat at a table in Luke's waiting for Rory, I couldn't help but wonder how she was going to react. I saw Rory get off her bus and head towards Luke's. When she walked in, she headed right for me and sat down. "Hey." I said.

"Hey, I need coffee." She said.

"Long day?" I asked her.

"Yeah, Paris is stressing out because Louise isn't writing on topic so of she comes to me about it."

"So typical Paris?" I asked and she nodded. "How's Tristin?" I asked.

"Good. He's coming over later. He wants me to proof his English paper." She said.

I nodded. "So, I need to talk to you." I said as Luke brought Rory a cup of coffee and refilled mine.

"Everything okay?" She asked me.

"Yeah, everything is fine. I have some news though." Rory nodded. "So, when your Dad was here last week, he shared some news. He's back for good, kid. He got a job in Hartford. He still wants the three of us to be a family."

"Wow." She said. "So he was serious?" She asked me.

I nodded. "It seems so. Look kid, I know that it's a lot to take in. Your Dad, is always gonna be your Dad…I can't say that things will work out and that we're gonna live happily ever after. But I think that part of me wants to try and at least see where things go." I told her.

Rory nodded. "I get it Mom, I do. I'm not really sure how I feel though. I mean, Dad's never stayed in one place very long not mention that he has a new girlfriend every six months." Rory said.

"Your right, it's always been that way…but I also know that you of all people believe that people can change. Isn't that what you told yourself about Tristin?" I asked her.

RORY POV

 _Mom was right. I did believe that people could change. I mean, look at Tristin. He went from being the playboy of Chilton to having a steady girlfriend and being focused on school._ "Your right. Who knows, maybe Dad has changed."

After my dinner with Mom, I stopped by Doose's to pick up some study snacks for me and Tristin. I was walking back up an aisle when I bumped into somebody. I looked up to apologize when I noticed that it was Dean. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention." I said.

"It's okay, Rory. How are you?" He asked me.

"I'm good. You know, family stuff going on." I said. He nodded.

"Look, I just want to say again that I'm sorry about everything. I shouldn't had gotten so upset." Dean said.

"You shouldn't have, Dean. But I understand. It's daunting feeling like you aren't good enough." I said softly.

"I'm glad you get it, but I'm still sorry about reacting the way I did." Dean said just as soft.

"That's alright, now we can both not feel like we're sitting under a noose. I heard there's a few girls following you around." I am glad for the break-up because it was like fitting a square peg in round hole sometimes. I had to quickly throw some Stars Hollow out there to stir him away from thinking about us again.

"Ah, you heard about all that? Nothing serious right now, I think I'm going to try dating." He said with his shy smile.

"Well, good luck and be careful with all that." I smiled as I grabbed my bags and walked out.

As I'm walking in the door, Tristan's pulling up and the phone starts ringing. I rush to the phone leaving the door open for Tristin.

" _Hello?"_ I greet.

" _Hey, Rory! What're you doing right now?"_ Dad said a little over excited.

" _Me and Tristin are getting ready to study. What you doing?"_ I have a test in history that counts for 60% of my grade.

" _Well, I was hoping to get some dinner with my daughter. You got plans, so raincheck?"_ Dad said like all the wind has gone out of his sails.

" _I can cancel, dad."_ I offered and Tristin gave me such a look. I was just about recant when dad cut me off.

" _No, no, Rory. You study and I'll cash in my raincheck another night."_ He said sounding like his excitement was back.

" _Ok, well talk to you later dad."_ I said as I heard the line click.

He just hung up on me! Tris and I got situated on the couch and prepared for a long night of studying.

 _Changes were happening. My Dad was back and apparently from what my Mom had said, he was here to stay. But even though I believed that people could change, I found it hard to believe that my Dad was planning on sticking around. Tristin and I on the other hand…we were better than ever. But I had this feeling in the pit of my stomach that something bad was about to happen. I just hoped that it wouldn't…_


	6. Exes

_A/N: Hey guys! I'm just pumping out chapters left and right. I hope you guys like this chapter. It's ten pages long! I think that it's the longest chapter that I've ever written. I did something a little different with this chapter. Most of the stuff that is in italics are thoughts. Let me know if you like it that way. Also it was brought to my attention that maybe Richard and Christopher have an arranged marriage set up between Rory and Tristin. Let me know your thoughts on that as well._

 _As Always…Read, Review, Favorite and Follow._

 _Enjoy!_

 _YaleAceBella12: I'm trying to write as fast as I can_

 _JJsMommy27: Things are building. Keep reading to find out._

 _Sammyl1440: That's a good insight about an arranged marriage. I hadn't even thought about that. Would love to get your thoughts on that idea._

Chapter 6: Exes

Tristin POV

I couldn't ask for a better girlfriend. Rory was incredible. She helped me with my homework when I needed and if I needed space to hang with my friends, she didn't complain. She had stayed with her grandparents last night so their driver was gonna drop her off. I was waiting for her by her locker, when Summer approached me.

"Hi Tristin." Summer said.

"Summer. What do you want?" I said.

"Well, I was kind of hoping that maybe you were done with Rory and you wanted to have some fun."

"I suggest you take a step back." I heard. The next thing I knew Rory was walking right up to Summer. "Back off Summer."

"Last time I checked, I was talking to Tristin and not…well you."

"Yeah and the last time I checked Tristin was my boyfriend and not yours. So last time…walk away." Rory said.

"I'll see you around, Tristin." Summer said before walking away.

Rory turn toward me and crossed her arms. "Ror, she started it. I didn't buy it and I wouldn't cheat on you." I said, trying to hand her the coffee that I was holding.

She uncrossed her arms and took the coffee. She leaned up and kissed me. "I know." She said.

We barely had a minute before Madeline and Louise approached us. "Ror, sorry to interrupt, but we need you to approve the venue for the homecoming dance." Madeline said.

"And the decorating committee wants to know if you picked a theme yet?" Louise asked at the same time.

I raised an eyebrow. "The queen's job is never done." Rory whispered to me.

"Go on…I'll see you in English." I said, kissing her cheek.

She smiled and winked at me before turning to Madeline and Louise. I headed off towards my locker to grab what I needed. I had just opened my locker when Austin approached me. "Hey man." I said.

Rory POV

The homecoming dance was coming up and apparently as the queen of Chilton, it was my job to help plan the event. For the last couple of weeks, the entire school had been coming up to me and telling me what they wanted for the homecoming dance. I spent all of homeroom in the library with Madeline and Louise trying to make decision. When the end of homeroom bell rang, I headed to my locker to get my books for English. I was headed down the hall to meet up with Tristin, when I overheard him having a conversation with Austin.

 _"I can't believe that your still with her." Austin said._

 _"Dude, how many times do I have to tell you…I love her. She's not some game." Tristin said._

 _"That's not what you said when she first came to this school."_

 _I saw Tristin push Austin into the lockers. "THIS IS THE LAST TIME THAT I'M TELLING YOU THIS…BACK OFF." Tristin said before releasing him._

I acted like I hadn't heard anything and approached Tristin. "Hey babe. You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm great. Come on." He said, putting his arm around my shoulders and leading me down the hall. "You get everything taken care of for the dance."

I nodded. "For now any way. Madeline and Louise think that they can handle the rest of it." I said.

The rest of the day seemed to pass by with any further incident. I took the bus home that day, because Tristin had to meet his Mom at the club for a game of Tennis. When I got home, once again, Dean was sitting on my front porch. "Dean? What are you doing here?" I asked.

I took my backpack off and sat it on the porch. "I needed to talk to you." Dean said.

"What about? I told you the last time that you were here that I've moved on." I said.

"Rory, come on…think about this. You're not from his world. I mean look at you. You've changed." Dean said.

"I haven't changed. I actually feel like I have found myself. And I owe a lot of that to Tristin, but he hasn't changed me." I said.

"If you say so…here comes your boyfriend now." Dean said, pointing behind me.

I turned around to look and I saw Tristin pulling into my driveway. I watched him get out of his car. "What do you want _bag boy_?" Tristin asked Dean, as he walked up to us.

I grabbed his arm to stop him before a fight broke out. "I was just making conversation." Dean said. "You know friendly conversation."

"Yeah, well it seems to me…that all you do is harass Rory." Tristin replied.

"Okay enough!" I yelled. I pointed to Dean, "You go home." I told Dean and he walked past us to leave. When Dean was out of ear shot, I turned to Tristin. "You inside." I said.

As soon as I stepped inside the house, the house phone began ringing. I quickly answered it so that the machine wouldn't pick up (god Mom and I hated that machine). "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey kiddo." Dad said.

"Hey Dad, what's up?" I asked.

"Was wondering if tonight would be a good night to cash in that raincheck?" Dad asked.

"Sure Dad. Text me the details." I said.

"Sure thing. Why don't you see if Tristin wants to come?" Dad asked me.

"Okay, I'll ask him. Hold on." I said. I covered the phone and turned to Tristin. "Dad wants to know if you want to come to dinner with us?" I asked him and he nodded. I put the phone back to my ear. "Dad, Tristin said that he would join us for dinner." I said.

"Great. So, I'll see both of you say…7 o'clock?" Dad asked.

"Sure." I said, hanging up the phone. I turned back to Tristin. "There's something going on." I said, laying the phone on the table.

Tristin raised an eyebrow at me. "What do you mean?" He asked.

"You remember last week, when we had dinner with my grandparents and my Dad showed up?" He nodded. "Well, I noticed that my Dad and Grandpa kept shooting each other looks. I don't know, Tris, I just have this feeling that their up to something…I just don't know what it is." I said as my phone dinged with a new text message. I pulled my phone out of my backpack and check my messages. It was from Dad, with the address of the restaurant. I held up my phone. "I should change." I said, laying my phone on the table and heading to my room. Ever since Tristin and I had started dating, my wardrobe had grown…a lot. I started looking through my closet and I finally decided on a black strapless dress (that Tristin had bought me for a party that we went too) and a pair of silver heels. I quickly changed and then walked into the living room. "Tris, I need you to zip me up." I said. I turned around and Tristin zipped my dress up. I walked over to the table and grabbed a pen and a post-it. I wrote Mom a note telling her my plans and stuck it on the coffee pot, where I was sure that she would see it. "Okay, ready?" I said.

"Yeah, we still have to stop by my house." Tristin said.

After Tristin and I stopped by his house so that he could change, we headed over to the restaurant to meet my Dad. When we walked into the restaurant, it didn't take long before we found my Dad. "Hi Dad." I said, hugging him. "You remember Tristin, right?"

Dad looked at Tristin. "Of course. I'm happy you could join us tonight." Dad said.

"Thank you for the invitation sir." Tristin said and I smiled at him.

The hostess led us to our table and we sat down. We ordered our drinks and our food. After the waitress, brought our drinks I looked at my Dad. "So…Mom says that your back in Hartford for good?" I say.

Dad took a drink of his water. "Yeah, my Dad convinced me to come back and take over the business." My Dad said.

"But you and grandpa don't get along." I said. _Granted I didn't know Grandpa Straub that well but one thing that I did know was that he and Dad didn't get along very well._

"I know sweetie, but there's more." Dad said. "I called your Mom about a month ago, and I told her that I wanted the three of us to be a family."

"Dad, I know about the phone call. Mom talked to me about it and I told her no. At the time, Tristin and I hadn't been together that long and I wasn't ready to give that up." I felt Tristin grab my hand. "Dad, if you and Mom wanna be together, then I'm okay with that. I'm never home anyway."

"Yeah, she mentioned that after dinner last week. It surprised me though." Dad said.

I looked at him shocked. "Why, because Tristin is from Hartford?" I asked.

"Yes, actually. Your Mom left Hartford and ran away from that world. I guess it just surprised me that she would be okay with you dating someone from that world…our world." Dad said.

"Mr. Hayden, if I may?" Tristin said.

"Please call me Chris. Mr. Hayden is my father." Dad said.

"I want you to know that I love your daughter. I fell in love with her the moment that I saw her. I know that Lorelai has trust issues with anyone from Hartford and from society…but I have tried really hard to prove myself to her and Rory that I wanna be someone that Rory deserves." Tristin said. _Wait…did Tristin just say that he loved me?_

"I appreciate that. If Rory is happy then so am I. I haven't always been around but that is all changing."

"Dad, I do think that you and Mom deserve to see if those feelings are still there, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. I…I just don't want to get used to you being around and then suddenly your gone."

Dinner with my Dad seemed to go pretty well. I was quiet on the ride home. "That went well…don't you think?" Tristin asked me on the way home.

I looked at him and smiled. "Yeah, it did." I said.

"You look deep in thought. Something on your mind?"

"Did you mean what you said?"

Tristin looked confused. "What?"

"Did you mean it when you said that you loved me?" I asked.

Tristin POV

 _Crap. I hadn't even realized that I had said. What makes it worse is that I said it to her Dad before I said it to her._ I nodded. "Yeah, I did." I grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it. "I know that I should have said it to you first, but it just kind of came out." I said.

She smiled at me. "I love you too, Tris." She said.

"Now all we have to do is get our _Exes_ to leave us alone."

"If only it was that simple."


	7. Homecoming Part I

A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. I've been sick yesterday and today so if something doesn't make sense, I'm sorry.

Reviews:

Sammyl1440: Hope you like this chapter.

Ashmo2000: As always, thanks for all the help!

YaleAceBella: Here's your more!

Chapter 7: Homecoming Dance Part 1

Rory POV

The homecoming dance was quickly approaching and I still had to find a dress. My dad had offered to pay for my dress since he was around. The guys (Tristin and Henry), told me and Lane that they were gonna make this night special for us girls, since it was our first Chilton homecoming dance. Mom, Lane and I were going dress shopping while the guys were picking out their suits. We went to Hartford to go dress shopping in Hartford (because there's definitely nowhere in Stars Hollow to find formal dresses.) On the way to Hartford, we stopped at a little deli to get lunch. After lunch, we headed over to the Hartford mall. The first store that we went into I didn't find anything but yet Mom was able to find herself a pair of shoes. We moved on to another store and Lane found a dress this time but still had to find a pair of shoes. The third store that we went into I lucked out and found the perfect dress. It was a strapless, silver dress and it had rhinestones in a pretty design going down the front of it. I settled on a pair of silver shoes that matched my dress perfectly.

After dress shopping, we headed home so that Mom and I could get ready for dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. Friday Night Dinner…I couldn't help but wonder if these dinners would ever end. When we got back to the house Lane headed home and Mom and I went inside to get ready for dinner. Dad was joining us tonight for dinner and Mom seemed kind of nervous about seeing him. When we pulled into Grandma's driveway, there was an additional car that I didn't recognize. We stood outside not saying anything. "Are you going to ring the doorbell?" I asked. Mom shook her head. I stepped up and rang the bell.

The maid opened the door to let us in. "Their in the living room." She said.

"Thanks." I said, as we handed her our jackets. Mom and I made our way into the living room to find Grandpa, Grandma, Dad and… _Grandma Francine and Grandpa Straub._ "Hi." I said.

"Rory, Lorelai. Good you're here." Grandma Emily said.

Mom and I walk over to the loveseat where Dad was sitting. "Yeah, Mom. We're here. Wouldn't be anywhere else." Mom said.

"I'll get drinks." Grandpa Richard said, getting up from his chair and walks over to the drink cart to fix everyone drinks.

"Rory, I know that it's been a while since you've seen them, but do you remember my parents?" Dad asked me.

"Yeah, sure. Its nice to see you." I said.

"So, Rory…Is Tristin joining us tonight?" Grandma Emily asked me.

"He said that he couldn't make dinner but that he would drop by for coffee and dessert." I told her as Grandpa handed me my Coke.

"So, Rory," Grandma Francine started, "your father tells us that you attend Chilton now."

"Yes Grandma. I've been there since September." I said, as politely as possible.

"That's wonderful. You know, your Grandfather and I have been keeping up with you through your father and of course Richard and Emily." Grandma Francine said.

"Thank you." I said. _I really wasn't sure what I was supposed to talk about with them. I mean, we hadn't exactly spent a lot of time with each other over the years. It had been a few years since I had seen them and even then I always found it hard to find something to talk about._

"So, Rory, how's the planning for homecoming coming along?" Grandma Emily asked me.

I took a drink of my Coke. "It's coming along great Grandma. The venue is set, and we're securing the caterer this week. Will you and Grandpa be attending?" I asked.

"I'm afraid not dear. Your Grandfather and I are attending the Yale homecoming on the same night." Grandma said.

I nod. Everyone sat in silence until my phone started ringing. "I'm so sorry Grandma. Excuse me." I said, walking out of the room to answer it. It was Tristin. "Save me please." I said, when I answered.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"My parents and both sets of Grandparents." I told him.

"Okay, I'll be there soon. Dinner with my parents was a bust." Tristin said.

"What happened?"

Tristin POV

After Henry and I had picked up our suits for homecoming, I headed home to get ready for dinner with my parents. It was uncommon for me to have dinner with my parents but it did happen from time to time. Rory had dinner with her grandparents so I told that I would drop by for dessert. At least her family liked me better than my own. When I was dressed and ready, I headed over to the Club to meet my parents. It didn't take me long to find them. "Hi." I said, when I got to the table.

"Tristin." My father said.

"Hello darling." My mother said.

"Dad, Mom." I said sitting at the table. There was a moment of awkward silence. "So, is there a reason why we're having dinner together? We usually don't unless there's something that the two of you want to talk about."

"Tristin, you've been seeing that _girl_ for a while now. Is it serious?" My father asked.

"It seems to be. Why?" _My father was up to something. I had a feeling that he was about to tell me that they wanted to meet her. I wasn't going to subject Rory to the wrath of my parents. I wouldn't put her through that._

"Your mother and I would like to meet her. What did you say her name was?" My father asked.

"Rory…Rory Gilmore." I said.

"Richard and Emily's granddaughter?" My mother asked.

I nod. "Yeah. They approve of me as her boyfriend." I tell them.

"Wonderful." My father says.

"Okay, look. You said what you had to say. I gotta go." I said, getting up from the table and heading out to my car. When I got in my car, I called Rory.

"Save me please." She said, when she answered.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"My parents and both sets of Grandparents."

"Okay, I'll be there soon. Dinner with my parents was a bust."

"What happened?" She asked me.

"My parents want to officially meet you." I said.

"I'm sure that it'll be fine." Rory said.

"I guess." I told her as I cranked my car. "I'll see you soon." I told her before I hung up.

Rory POV

When I hung up the phone with Tristin, I headed back into the living room to finding everyone arguing. "What's going on?" I asked. Everyone turned and stared at me. "Is anyone going to tell me?"

"Umm…" Mom said.

Before I could say anything else, I heard the doorbell which meant that Tristin was here. "Mom?" I asked.

"Now, is not the time or place to discuss this." Both Grandpa Richard and Grandpa Straub said at the same time.

"Hello everyone." Tristin said, when he walked into the living room and stood beside me.

The rest of the night at the Gilmore's seemed to go by fast. When it was time to go Mom, Dad, Tristin and I headed back to the house. The entire ride to the house, I was quiet. Neither one of us said anything. "Hey Ror." Tristin said, causing me to look at him. "I think your right." He said causing me to raise an eyebrow at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I think that you were right about your Dad and Grandpa being up to something…only this is…I think that my parents might be involved too."

"What is going on? When I hung up the phone with you, I walked back into the living room to find everyone arguing." I told him.

"Maybe we should ask your parents." Tristin said as we pulled into my driveway.

"I think your right…let's go ask them."


	8. Homecoming Part II

A/N: Okay you guys! Here is the next chapter. I struggled with this chapter a little bit, but I finally got it done. There is a lot in this chapter, so I hope that you guys enjoy it. This chapter picks up exactly where the last chapter left off. The next chapter is going to be more of a filler chapter because the chapter after that we're jumping to spring break. Also I wanted to tell you guys that I'm working on a new story. It was something that I was playing around with in my head. I just started Chapter 3 of that story so maybe I will work on editing and proofing those chapters and try and get those out to you guys this weekend. Who knows? Also my birthday is next weekend.

As always, Read, review, favorite and follow.

Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Homecoming Part II

Rory POV

When Tristin parked the car in my driveway, we got out and headed inside. Something was going on and I was determined to find out what it was…tonight. When we walked inside, I found my parents sitting on the couch. Tristin and I sat on the love seat across from them. "Everything okay, sweets?" My mom asked.

I took a deep breath. "Not exactly Mom." I looked at Tristin and he nodded. "Look, Tristin and I know that something is going on. Dad and Grandpa Richard were exchanging looks the night that he met Tristin, tonight everyone was arguing and Tristin's parents are acting weird and happy about me being Tristin's girlfriend. Now, we want to know what's going on." I finally got out, in a typical Gilmore style rant.

"I think I'm gonna need coffee for this." Mom said looking at Dad.

"I need a drink." Dad said.

"It can't be that bad." Tristin said beside me.

Dad let out a deep breath. "Ok here it is. The two of you were born a few months apart from each other. Tristin's grandparents were really good friends with my parent's as well as your mother's at the time. They thought that it would be a good idea if at some point in the future, to unite three of the most wealthiest families in Hartford." Dad said, "We didn't know about it until after the fact."

"Speak for yourself. I didn't know about it until tonight." Mom said.

"What're you talking about?" I asked.

Tristin ran his hand through his hair. "Ror, our grandparents set up an arranged marriage between the two of us." Tristin said, causing me to look away from my parents to him.

I turned back to my parents. "But we're only sixteen." I said.

"There's more to it kiddo. The two of you wouldn't be getting married until after you graduate from college. There's two major stipulations though." My dad said. I raised an eyebrow at him. "You have to major in business and become the heir to the Hayden Law Firm as well as the Gilmore Insurance Firm." My dad said.

"Dad! You can't be serious!" I yelled standing up.

"Rory, it wasn't our decision." My Mom said.

"I can't believe this." I said, storming out of the living room and out to the front porch.

Tristin POV

I watched Rory storm out. "What does it mean for me?" I asked, looking at Rory's dad.

He let out a sigh. "You go to college, get a law degree and help Rory run the Hayden Law firm." Chris said.

I nodded. "I should check on Rory." I said, getting up and walking out to the front porch. She was sitting on the swing. I walked over and sat beside her. "You okay?" I asked.

"I don't even know. I mean, you know I love you but it would have been nice that if things worked out and we decided to get married that it would've been our choice and not theirs you know?" Rory said.

I nodded. "Yeah, I know. But at least we have time. I mean, it's not like we have to get married when we graduate Chilton." I told her, trying to lighten the mood.

She turned and looked at me. "That's a good point." She said.

Rory POV

The rest of the weekend seemed to fly by. Saturday night, Tristin and I had our usual weekly dinner with Lane and Henry. We told them about our "arranged marriage". They couldn't believe it. When Monday came, I realized that it was the week leading up to homecoming. I had a lot that I had to accomplish this week. I had to make sure that everything was ready for Saturday night, I had to get my hair and nails done as well as dinner with my grandparents on Friday night. This time, I found out that we would be having dinner with Grandpa Straub and Grandma Francine. It was going to be a fun night.

Tristin and I had spent Sunday afternoon, having an early dinner with his parents and my parents. After a conversation with them, they told me that arranged marriage or not, that they approved of me and couldn't wait to get to know me better. We were also told that our parents were no longer going to try and control our lives (at least for the time being).

I spent majority of the week finalizing the remaining plans for homecoming. I had even been able to recruit Paris into helping me, Madeline and Louise. By the time that Thursday came, we had everything ready for homecoming.

When Friday came, the day passed quickly and I couldn't help but wish that it had moved more slower. Tristin and I were headed to my house so that I could grab some clothes. I was planning to stay at his house that night. I had been stressed about homecoming and my parents agreed that I needed some time to relax. When we got to my house, Tristin sat on my bed while I got some clothes together. "You know, I was thinking…" Tristin started when I interrupted.

"That's dangerous for you." I said, smiling.

"Haha. Seriously though, it wouldn't be a bad thing if you wanted to keep some clothes at my house. I mean, who's going to stop you from staying at my house…I mean after all we are getting married one day."

"I guess your right." I said. I finished putting some clothes into a bag and I handed him my two dresses that I had hanging up. "Can you put this stuff in the car?" I asked, and he nodded. After we got my stuff into the car, we headed over to Tristin's to get ready for dinner.

Dinner with the Hayden's seemed to be pleasant, since me and Tristin knew about the "arranged marriage". Tristin's grandfather, Janlan, even came. It was nice to finally put a face to the name. After dinner, Tristin and I headed back to his house. Tristin and I cuddled up in his bed and watched _The Office._ "So…homecoming's tomorrow." Tristin said.

"Yep." I said, tilting my head up so that I could see his face. "I guess that would explain all the decorating that the girls and I have been doing for the last three weeks." I said with a smile.

The next morning, I woke up and went to meet up with Lane, Paris, Louise and Madeline. We decided that we were all going to get ready together. We met up at the nail salon, so that we could get our nails done first. After two hours we were done at the nail salon and were heading to the spa to get facials, our hair and our make-up done. It seemed like it took forever at the spa. When we left the spa, we headed back to Tristin's house to start getting ready. All of our families were coming over for a pre-homecoming party. I was in Tristin's room, and I had just put my dress on when I heard a knock on the door. "Come in." I said. The door opened slowly. Tristin walked in and just stared at me. "What? What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing. You look…amazing." Tristin said.

"Thanks." I said, then I noticed that he didn't have a tie on. "Where's your tie?" I asked.

He stepped closer to me. "You never told me what color your dress was." He said.

"Oh, I must have forgotten." I said, walking over to Tristin's closet, looking for a tie that would match my dress. I found one and handed it to him. "This one."

"Thanks." He said, leaning down and giving me a gentle kiss. "We should head down soon. When I came up, everyone was starting to arrive." Tristin said.

"Okay, lets go." I said, as Tristin reached his hand out for mine.

When Tristin and I walked downstairs, I saw all of our friends, our families and our friends' families. We said our hellos and took pictures to make our families happy. When it was time to go, we said our good-byes and headed out the front door. There was a limo waiting for us. We all climbed in and before I knew it, we were headed to the homecoming dance.

When we arrived at the homecoming dance, the ballroom looked more beautiful than it had when we were finishing the decorating the other day. We took our picture and quickly found our table. Fortunately, we were all sitting at the same table. Tristin and I dance a lot. About half-way through the dance, my feet started to hurt and I had to sit down. When it was time for the homecoming king and queen to be announced, I suddenly felt nervous.

"It is now time to announce this year's homecoming king and queen." Mr. Medina announced. He opened the envelope that he had in his hand. "Your homecoming king this year is…Tristin DuGrey." Tristin made his way to the stage and Mr. Medina put Tristin's crown on his head. "And finally your homecoming queen. Your homecoming queen this year is…. Rory Gilmore."


	9. Chapter 9: FILLER

Chapter 9: Filler Chapter

 _A/N: This Chapter isn't going to like one of my normal chapters. This Chapter is a filler chapter. It willing be filling the blanks between Homecoming and Spring Break. The next chapter will pick up with Spring Break. Hope you guys enjoy. This chapter is shorter than normal so sorry for that._

 _Reviews:_

 _Ashmo2000: As always thanks girl._

 _Sammyl1440: yep. Guess you were right…just kidding. I liked the idea. Thanks for the suggestion._

 _YaleAceBella: Here you go!_

Once Homecoming had come and gone, Rory and Tristin tried to just enjoy being teenagers for once. Of course, there was always some society party that their families were trying to get them to make an appearance at, but that didn't stop them from trying to enjoy themselves.

Things seemed to be going well for Lorelai and Christopher. So well in fact that they had decided to tell their parents that they were finally trying to make a go at being a "real family" as Emily Gilmore liked to put it. Rory's birthday had come and gone and the families had gone out of their way to throw her a huge party (which included inviting a bunch of people that she had never met). By the time that Halloween rolled around, Christopher had convinced Lorelai and Rory to move in with him, in the Hartford house that he had bought. Rory had even started spending time with the Hayden's trying to get to know them. After having brunch with them one Sunday, they informed her that they had set up a trust fund in her name and that would really love it, if she had Hayden added to her name. She told them that she would think about it and went home to discuss it with her parents. When they sat down and talked about it, her Mom (of all people) agreed that they should hyphenate her name (because after all, had she and Christopher gotten married when she got pregnant, Rory's name would have been hyphenated anyway). So, the following week, they went down to the courthouse and got the paperwork started to get Rory's name changed. A month later, she was legally Lorelai Leigh Gilmore-Hayden III.

Thanksgiving was approaching and Rory had no idea what to expect. Their lives had changed so much in the last couple of months. Rory came in from school one day to find the four most influential women in her life at the moment… her mom, Grandma Emily, Grandma Francine and Tristin's mom, Charlotte. Rory stood there in shock when the four of them told her that they had signed her up for the next Cotillion. She told Tristin and he said that it was bound to happen at some point. Cotillion came and went. Thanksgiving was just around the corner and as usually Emily Gilmore was having a party out of it. This year's Thanksgiving dinner, not only included the Gilmore's but the Hayden's and the DuGrey's as well.

With Thanksgiving over, Rory and Tristin were happy for the short break they would have before all of the Christmas parties started. They couldn't wait til New Years. They were going to New York with all of their friends. They just wanted a night away from their parents…and society.

When it got closer to Christmas, Rory struggled to come up with the perfect present for Tristin. I mean, obviously he could afford to buy anything that he wanted, but Rory wanted to get him something special. Eventually, she walked into a jewelry store and found the perfect necklace, that reminded her of Tristin. She pulled her Amex Black card that Grandpa Straub had given her and paid for the necklace. The credit card bill went to the Hayden's so that her Mom never even had to know that she had the card.

Tristin (like Rory) was on a mission to find the perfect Christmas present for Rory. It would be their first Christmas together and he wanted to find her something special. He had talked to both Lorelai and Lane to get a better idea of a few things that Rory would like. He was walking past a jewelry store at the mall, when he saw it. The perfect Christmas present for Rory. He walked in, paid for it and had them wrap it up.

When Christmas Eve came around, Rory and Tristin made their appearance at the annual Gilmore Christmas party. They were introduced to several people, including Tristin's cousin…Logan Huntzburger. Rory had heard of the Huntzburgers. They were the biggest name in the Journalism industry. They owned several newspapers throughout the country. Rory felt like it was an honor to meet them, however she felt that Logan was looking at her like she was a piece of meat.

After a few hours at the party, Tristin grabbed Rory and pulled her outside to the patio so that he could give her the Christmas present that he had for her. He handed her the small box and she opened it. She could believe it. It was a ring. It had a diamond in the center of it and smaller diamonds around it. Tristin informed her that it was a promise ring. He told her that even though they "an arranged marriage" that he wanted to get her something so that she knew how much he cared about her and loved her. Rory put the ring on her finger and then handed Tristin his present. He opened it and instantly loved. He told her that it was perfect.

Christmas and New Years came and went. A week or two into the new year, every one was shocked to find out that New Years Eve, Christopher had proposed to Lorelai and she had accepted. Looks like there's a wedding to be planned.


	10. Spring Break

A/N: Hey guys. I know that its been a while since I've updated this story. So, here you go. Here's Chapter 10. Hope you guys enjoy it.

Chapter 10: Spring Break

Rory POV

It was the week leading up to Spring Break. Mom and the Grandmas' had been working hard to get Mom and Dad's wedding planned and organized. I was in my room stretched out across my bed with my headphones in my ears, when I noticed my bedroom door open. Tris came in and plopped down on my bed beside me. I pulled my headphones out. "Hey babe." I said.

"Hey. It looks like a bridal shop exploded downstairs." Tristin said.

I leaned up and kissed him. "Yeah I know, the Grandmas' have gone a little overboard." I told him. "Their talking about getting married at the Vineyard."

"Wow. Big fancy society wedding. Can't wait." Tristin said sarcastically.

"You know, I'll be there too." I said with a smile.

"Really, now? I had no clue, you know, since it is _your_ parents wedding."

"And…I have a really pretty dress."

"Hmm, I might could be persuaded to go." Tristin said.

"Yay." I said, and I leaned up and kissed him.

Tristin and I spent the rest of the afternoon, laying around before he headed out to go meet up with Austin. When Tristin left, I headed downstairs hoping that the wedding madness had disappeared. I walked into the living room to find Mom sitting on the couch drinking a cup of coffee. "Is the madness gone?" I asked her.

"Yeah sweets, the madness is gone…for now at least." She says. I sit down across from her and pour myself a cup of coffee. "Tristin gone?"

I nod. "Yeah, he had to go meet up with Austin. Their finalizing the rest of the plans for spring break." I tell her.

"That sounds fun, kid. When do you guys leave?" Mom asked taking a drink of her coffee.

"Not for a couple of days. I still need to do some shopping." I tell her, as we hear the doorbell. A few minutes later, Marissa the maid walks in.

"Miss Rory, I'm sorry to interrupt, but there is a gentleman in the foyer asking to speak with you." Marissa said.

I raise an eye brow at Mom, feeling slightly confused. "Did he say who he was?" I asked.

"No ma'am, sorry." Marissa says, before heading off to the kitchen.

I get up from my spot and head toward the foyer to see who the mystery visitor was. To my surprise it's Austin. "Austin?" I asked. "What're you doing here? I thought that you were meeting Tristin?"

"I'm supposed to. I waited for him to leave. I needed to talk to you." Austin said.

"Okay, what's up."

"I don't think that I can go to Cabo with you guys." He said.

"How come?"

"Rory, I have feelings for you and school is one thing. We're all spread out and only there for eight hours but we're talking about Cabo where we're all going to be around each other pretty much 24 hours a day for 7 days. I just…I can't." Austin said.

 _I couldn't believe it. Austin actually had feelings for me. This wasn't happening. Not only did I actually love Tristin, but we had an arranged marriage. This couldn't happen._ "Austin, I'm sorry, but I love Tristin." I said. Austin nodded and left.

Later that night after dinner, I found myself sitting in my room trying to relax after listening to Mom complain about Grandma throughout dinner, when my phone rang. I grabbed my cell and looked at the caller ID and saw that it was my cousin. I hadn't been able to talk to my cousin lately because things had been so hectic. "Hey Cuz. It's been a while." I said.

"Yeah, I know. I called Aunt Lorelai the other day and she said that you stay pretty busy." My cousin Stephanie said.

"Yeah, it all started back at Homecoming and it's been hectic ever since. Come to find out, the Gilmores, Hayden's and DuGreys set up an arranged marriage between Tris and I." I told her as I grabbed my suitcase out of the hall closet so that I could start packing.

"That's crazy. Did you find this out before or after you guys started dating?"

"Fortunately, it was after. It all came out after Tris and I both started noticing that our families were acting strange."

"Wow. So…the reason for my call. I'm gonna be joining you guys in Cabo." Stephanie said.

I started pulling outfits out of my closet to put in the suitcase. "That's awesome Steph. How's Colin? He didn't come home for Christmas like he said he would." I said.

"Let's not go there. Him and Logan made this new friend and so I haven't seen either of them much the last couple of weeks."

"I'm sorry. So, I guess I'll see you this weekend. You just gonna meet us at the house in Cabo?"

"Yeah, that's the plan. Daddy's gotta go down for business tomorrow, so I'll be there early."

"Sounds like a plan." I said. I finished my conversation with Steph and then when I hung up, I put my phone on the charger. I had mid-terms tomorrow and then I would be ready for Spring Break.

Over the next couple of days, I spent my time shopping and getting all of my stuff ready for our trip to Mexico. The plane ride there, I spent cuddled up to Tris. When we got to the house in Cabo, Tris and I went in search of our room. When we walked into it, Tris shut the door behind him. I sat my bag down in front of the dresser, and then I walked over to the bed where Tris was sitting and stood in front of him. "You okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah, I just don't get why Austin back out of the trip at the last minute." He said.

"No clue babe. Hey, I forgot to tell you…my cousin's coming." I said.

"Oh yeah. That'll be cool. It's been a while since you've seen her." Tristin said.

"Yeah. Apparently, things aren't good with Colin so she wanted to get away. She should be here soon." I told him.

I started to back away when he pulled me closer. "Wait." He said. I wrapped my arms around his neck and leaned down and kissed him. "I feel like we haven't spent much time together lately." He said.

"I know, I'm sorry. Between Mom and the Grandparents, they've kept me busy." I said as he pulled me into his lap. "I'll be glad when this wedding is over."

"When is it again?" He asked me.

"The weekend before school gets out." I said.

"Okay."

Spring break had been a blast. Tris and I had spent some much-needed time together. It had definitely been needed, especially since when we got back home, we would be busy until after school got out. Steph and I had spent some time together, since I wouldn't see her until my parents wedding. Her dad was dragging her back from boarding school for it. When Tris and I got back to Hartford, we headed to my house. My parents were sitting in the living room. My Dad had a glass of scotch. He didn't drink liquor often. Tris sat my bag by the doorway.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Ror…" My mom said looking up at me.

I looked at her and I could tell that she had been crying. I walked over and sat next to her on the couch. "Mom, what's wrong?" I asked her.

"I'm pregnant." She said.


	11. The Wedding of the Year

Chapter 11: The Wedding of the Year

Rory POV

 _I couldn't believe it. Mom was pregnant. I'm sure that the grandparents were having a field day with this information. At least this time, Mom and Dad were getting married. When Mom had first told me, I couldn't process the information, so Tris and I had left and gone to his house. I had stayed there for a week before I finally went home. Mom told me that I had been irresponsible. I couldn't believe her. Me irresponsible…at least I wasn't getting pregnant. Tris and I weren't even having sex._

The rest of the school year seemed to pass by. It was the week of Mom and Dad's wedding. They family had already headed to the vineyard. It was Thursday. Tris and I were heading up after school that afternoon. I was standing at my locker, when Mads and Louise walked up. "Really? You think he's bringing anyone?" I heard Mads ask Louise.

"Who are you guys talking about?" I asked, putting my books in my locker.

"Logan Huntzberger. We heard that he's coming to your parents wedding." Louise said.

"Oh. Yeah, he' Tristin's cousin." I said, closing my locker and turning toward them.

"Is he bringing a date?" Mads asked.

"I don't know. I haven't asked. Why hoping he'll ask you?" I said.

"Yes…no…maybe." Mad said. "Well it's not like that many people from here are going."

"Mads, it's a society wedding. Almost everyone will be there." Louise said. "My mom said it's going to be the wedding of the year."

"I know. Ror, you're so lucky." Mads said.

We started walking toward the quad. I needed coffee. "How do you figure?" I asked.

"Because you have Tristin. You don't have to worry about finding a date." Louise said.

"That's true. But you're not seriously telling me that two days before the wedding…that you still don't have a date." I said. They both stared at me. "What?"

"I'm going with Austin." Louise said.

"Okay, why would I care if you go with Austin?" I asked.

"You haven't heard?" Mads said.

We ordered coffee in the quad. "Heard what? What happened?" I asked her.

"Okay, you know how you missed the party last night, because you were helping your Mom pack?" She said, and I nodded. "Well, Austin got drunk last night and got into a fight with Tristin. He let it slip to Tristin that he had a thing for you."

"He told Tristin that it was only a matter of time before you got bored with him and broke up with him." Louise said.

"Wow." I said, as I grabbed our coffees. "That's insane." I said.

"Yeah, so now there not talking. Austin's got a black eye. Surprised that Tristin didn't tell you about it." Louise said.

"I haven't seen him much today. He had a makeup test from Monday." I said. Mads and Louise left me in the quad and said that they'd see me at the wedding. I was sitting on my usual bench in the quad, drinking my coffee when Tris walked up. I looked up at him. He had a busted lip. I pointed to his face. "This why you've been avoiding me all day?" I asked him.

"Ror…" He started to say when I interrupted him.

I stood up. "I thought you were done with fights." I said.

"I am. Austin was running his mouth and I couldn't take it anymore." He said.

I let out a sigh. You realize that my grandmother is going to have a field day. She going to say that your busted lip is going to ruin the pictures." I told him.

"Please don't be mad at me." He said.

"I'll think about it. Come on, we gotta get going." I said.

When Tris and I left school, we headed to my house so that I could change clothes. Mom had taken my bag and my dress with her. When I came out of the bathroom, Tris was sitting on my bed. He had this look on his face. "What?" I asked him.

"Did you know?" He asked. I looked at him confused. "Did you know that Austin liked you?"

I let out a sigh. "Yeah, I did."

He looked at me surprised. "How long?"

"Since right before spring break. It was day that you left to go meet him. After you left that day, he came by and told me. That's why he didn't go to Cabo with us." I told him.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

I walked over to the bed and sat on his lap. "Because, I don't have feelings for him. You're the one that I love. Remember?" I said.

He leaned his head up and I kissed him. "I love you." He said.

"And I love you. More than you know. We should get going. Everyone's expecting us." I said.

When we arrived at Tristin's parents' house at the Vineyard, his Mom was waiting for us. "Hi Mom." He said.

She looked up from her book at us. "There you two are. I was starting to get worried." She said.

"I told you I had that makeup test today." Tris said.

"Yes yes. I must have forgotten." She sat her book on the table and stood up to hug Tris. "Rory dear, how are you?" She asked me.

"I'm good. Ready for summer." I said, as she hugged me.

"Oh yes. Alyssa, bring some lemonade." She said as she sat back down. Tris and I sat on the couch across from her. "Any big plans?" She asked me.

"Not really. My parents are gonna be gone most of the summer, so I'll probably stay with my grandparents." I told her.

"You could always spend the summer with us." She said, as their maid Alyssa brought in a tray of lemonade. I grabbed a glass from the tray.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude." I said.

"Nonsense." She said. "Thomas will be working as usual so Tristin and I usually spend the summer here."

I looked at Tris and he smiled. I knew that he didn't want to spend the summer away from me. "Sure. I'd love to." I said.

That night was the rehearsal dinner, so Tris and I had spent it with my family. My grandmothers had gone all out. The entire back yard at their summer house was decorated. Tris was talking to my Dad, so I took this opportunity to talk to my mom. She was two months pregnant. "Hey mom." I said as I sat beside her on the swing.

"Hey kiddo. How's it going?" She said.

"Good. Tris' Mom invited me to spend the summer with them." I told her.

"Oh. That's nice. It saves you from being stuck with your Grandmother all summer."

"Yeah, you're okay with it right?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yeah kid, it's fine. It's taken some getting used to with you and Tristin, but I trust you. I know that if anything was going on that you would talk to me."

"I would mom. I mean when I first found out about the whole arranged marriage thing…it kinda freaked me out but it's okay." I told her.

"Good. You are staying with him tonight?" She asked, and I nodded. "Okay."

I stood up, ready to go find Tris. "Mom, you ready for tomorrow?" I asked her.

She looked up at me and smiled. "Definitely." She said.

The next afternoon, Tris and I arrived at my grandparents' house. Everyone found their seats and soon after the ceremony started. It was beautiful. I mean how many kids can say that they get to see their parents get married. Anybody who was anybody in Hartford was there. As I stood up at the alter with Mom, I looked over at Tris and smiled at him. Part of me thought about what our wedding would be like. Fortunately, we still had a few years. I glanced up and saw that Austin was staring at me. He came with Louise, but you could see in his face that he wished that he was there with me. After the ceremony, the photographer gathered us together for the pictures. As expected, Grandma Emily was complaining that Tris' busted lip was going to ruin the pictures. Mom told her that it would be fine.

The reception was incredible. There were tables and chairs set up on the beach. Tris had taken his mom back to the house so for the moment I was alone. I was walking down from the house to the beach, when I slipped and almost fell. I felt someone grab my arm. I looked up and saw that it was Austin. "Hi." He said, helping me back up.

"Hi." I said. "Where's Louise?"

"She's finding a table with Mads and Matt." He said.

"Oh ok." I said, as I continued down the stairs, Austin behind me.

"Where's Tristin?" He asked me.

"Took his mom back the house. Should be back soon." I said, reaching the bottom of the stairs.

"You look nice." Austin said.

I turned around. Austin and I were standing a few inches from each other. "Don't do this." I said.

"Do what? Tell you that you look nice? Because you do." He said.

"You were talking crap about me at the party last night and then you got into a fight with Tris. So again, don't do this." I said.

"Rory, I'm sorry." He said.

"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I gotta go." I said, turning away from him and walking off. Why did he have to do that? It was one thing for him to tell me that he liked me, but it was another for him to talk crap about me to Tris. I walked across the beach to a table where a bunch of my friends were and waited for Tris. About ten minutes later, I looked up at the glass that was being held in front of my face. "What took you so long?" I asked.

Tris sat beside me. "Sorry, Mom kept complaining that Dad wasn't here." He said. He kissed my cheek. "Are you okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, sure." I lied.

The band started playing and I watched my parents dance. "You wanna dance?" Tris asked, holding his hand out and I nodded. Tris led me over to the dance floor. "So, my mom brought something up, when I took her back to the house." He said, causing me to look up at him.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Well, she brought up the fact technically we're engaged."

"I'm aware." I said.

"Well, she's decided to let me move out to the pool house and turn it into a mini apartment for junior and senior year. And she thought that as much time as we spend together…that maybe you might want to come live with me there." Tris said.

Wow. "You want me to move in with you?" I asked.

"Yeah I do." He said as the band started playing A Thousand Years, by Christina Perri. "Ror, the way that I see it…we could go to Vegas and get married tomorrow, and no one would stop us. What do you think?"

I thought about it for a minute. Tris was right. We were already getting married when we graduated college, so what was stopping us from moving in together now? "You really want me to?" I asked.

"You spend most nights at my house any way."

I smiled up at him. "Okay let's do it." I said.

"Really?" He said, smiling at me.

"Yeah. I mean you're right. Only thing…I want us to agree on the redecoration of the pool house." I said.

He leaned down and kissed me. "Deal. Should we tell your parents? I mean think they're gonna notice that you've moved out when they come back in three months."

"I'll tell 'em. I mean I don't think that Dad would kill you, but I don't want to chance it." I said, and he nodded.

I was sitting at our table a little while later when Mom and Dad came over and joined me. "You having a good time, kiddo?" Dad asked.

"Yeah I am. There's a couple people here that I wished wasn't but it's okay." I said. Mom laughed. "Listen, I'm glad you guys are here. I need to talk to you."

"Please tell me you aren't pregnant. Your grandmothers would freak out." Mom said.

"No, I'm not pregnant. Tristin's mom is letting him move into their pool house for junior and senior year. And Tris asked me to move in with him. The way his mom put it…technically we're engaged." I said, trying to judge my parents' facial expressions.

"This is what you want?" Mom asked me.

I nodded. "It is. I mean, I'm there more than I am at home." I said.

Mom nodded. "Okay. As long as this is what you want. And you still have to uphold family obligations." Dad said.

"Really? You guys are okay with this?" I asked them.

"Yeah we are. I mean, we figured this would happen…just not for another year." Dad said.

"It's not like I'm moving far."

The rest of the night was incredible. Tris and I spent time with our friends dancing the night away. We tried to enjoy the night because the next week would be stressful. It was the last week of school and we have finals. The of the year party was next weekend and then it would be summer. Tris and I had a busy summer. We had a pool house to redecorate and I had Mom's baby shower to plan.


	12. Summer

Chapter 12: Summer

Rory

The next thing we knew summer was here. Mom and Dad were off in Europe travelling, while Tris and I were remodeling the pool house. Paris was becoming the editor of _The Franklin_ this year and she had somehow roped me into writing for it. For some reason she didn't quite understand that I wasn't going to be a journalist. On the weekends, Tris and I always headed up to the vineyard to spend it with his mom. Then there was the fact that two days a week I had to intern with Grandpa Straub. He was retiring at the end of the summer and Dad would run the firm until Tris and I got married, then we would take it over. I still couldn't believe that any of this was happening.

Of course, living in Hartford, there was always some sort of function going on. Fortunately, Grandma Emily only requested that I be at one function a week. She said that when school started back that she would reduce it to one function a month. I was grateful for that.

When 4th of July came around, Tris and I spent the weekend at the Vineyard with our families. We had six weeks until school started back.

All summer I couldn't get something out of my head. I couldn't get Tris' words out of my head. Tris had mentioned at my parents wedding that technically we could get married now and nobody would stop us. It just had me thinking…was Tris considering getting married before we went to college? I mean we still had two years, so it was a possibility.

The remainder of summer after the 4th, Tris and I spent moving our stuff into the pool house. The last two weeks before school started, we spent relaxing and settling in.

Tristin

Ever since her parents' wedding, Rory had seemed different…distracted almost. I couldn't quite place what it was. She spent the summer keeping busy. She was either working with her Grandfather, overseeing the remodel of the pool house or attending some function for her grandma. I was glad when 4th of July weekend came and we went to the Vineyard. It meant that she could take time and relax.

The closer it got to the start of school, the more I realized that I needed to talk to Rory. We had to start talking about things. College plans and such.

I needed to find out what was going on in her head.


	13. Things are Changing

Things are Changing

Rory POV

Ever since my parents wedding at the beginning of the summer, I couldn't get Tristin's words out of my head. They kept playing over and over in my head. _"We could get married tomorrow, and no one would stop us"._ I couldn't help but wonder, if that was something that he had been thinking about.

Once Tristin and I got the pool house re-modeled and all of our stuff moved in, things seemed to settle down. We attended a few events for our families but the rest of the time we tried to relax. However, school was getting ready to start back and I was ready to go back. Paris had spent several weeks at the beginning of the summer still trying to convince me to help her with _The Franklin_. I'd finally gotten through to her, that I just didn't have the time. She'd let it go the rest of the summer, but I had a feeling that soon, she'd be pestering me about it again.

My parents were coming home from Europe today and Grandma Emily insisted that we join everyone for dinner that night. In addition to everything else that had been going on all summer, Tristin had been a little distant. I guess we both have.

I was in our room in the pool house getting ready for dinner, when he walked out of the bathroom. "Hey, can we talk before we go to your grandparents?" He asked me.

I nodded as he walked over and zipped up my dress. "Sure. What's on your mind?" I asked.

"Well I've noticed that ever since your parents wedding, that whenever I mention us getting married… well you kind of tense up." Tristin said.

I turned around and looked at him. "I know and I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come across like that. It's just…" I started but then I froze.

Tristin took a step back from me. "It's just what?" He asked.

"You spooked me." I said. Tris looked at me confused. "At my parents wedding. When we were dancing, you said that we could get married tomorrow and that no one would stop us." I took a deep breath; this next part was gonna be hard for me. "Is that something that you've thought about? Us getting married before college?"

Tristin looked deep in thought. It was another minute before he said anything. "I won't lie. It's something that I've thought about. But I wouldn't suggest it, if I didn't think that you were ready for it." He said.

I nodded. "I'll think about it." I said. When I said this, he smiled. "You should get ready for dinner." I said before walking out to our living room.

It was another half an hour before he was ready to head over to Grandma Emily's. I was really hoping that tonight was going to be a drama free night…but knowing this family, that was highly unlikely.

When we got to Grandma and Grandpa's, we rang the doorbell like always. The maid let us in and informed us that everyone was waiting for us out back. When we walk out to the back patio, we found the Gilmores, Haydens, DuGreys, my parents and someone that I didn't quite recognize. "Hi everyone." I said in my best society voice because truth be told (even though I missed my mom) I really didn't want to be here.

"Rory, Tristin. Good you're here." Grandma Emily said.

Everyone stood up and hugged us as we approached them. After we greeted everyone, Tristin's mom grabbed my arm and turned me towards the girl that I didn't recognize. "Rory dear, I'd like to introduce you to the only member of our family that you haven't met. This is Isabelle. Tristin's sister." She said.

Sister? The mystery girl is Tris' sister? I relaxed a bit. "Hi, it's nice to finally put a name to the face. Tris has told me a lot about you." I said.

She pulled me into a hug. "Rory, likewise. I feel like I already know you. Every time I talked to Tristin or my parents, they all have nothing but good things to say about you. I'm just sorry that we couldn't meet until now." Isabelle said.

Dinner had seemed to go very smoothly, except for the fact that my mom seemed to be very quiet throughout dinner. When we were all getting ready to leave, I cornered her outside by the car. "Mom, are you ok?" I asked.

She shook her head no. "No, sweets, I'm not. We didn't want to say anything at dinner because of Tristin's family, but while we were in Europe, I spent some time in the hospital." She said. What? Why didn't she call me? "Don't worry, I'm okay. I'm not but I am."

"Mom, you're not making any sense." I said.

She let out a sigh. "I lost the baby." She said.

I gasped. "Mom, I'm sorry." I said. I didn't really know what else to say regarding the issue. "I don't really know what else to say. I know that doesn't help."

"I know Hun." She looked over at my dad and he gave her a sympathetic smile. "Right now, I just want to go home and sleep in my own bed." She said. "Don't worry though. We'll tell everyone soon enough." She said before hugging me and getting in the car.

When Tris and I got home, I went straight into the bedroom to change clothes. Things were changing around here. I was the future CEO of a multibillion-dollar law firm and insurance firm. I was technically engaged. I was 16 living with my boyfriend. And I'm the "queen bee" at my school.

I'd definitely say that things have changed since last year.

A/N: Hey guys! I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I want to get your opinion on something. Do you guys think Rory and Tristin should get married on their own terms or when their parents say? I'm slowly working on trying to get some of my stories finished because like always I constantly have new ideas popping into my head. One of these ideas involves our favorite character being the royal family (this inspiration might have come from watching the Crown on Netflix). Let me know what you guys think?


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